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Reviews — the good and the ‘oh my!’

I have had several unexpected reviews lately for some of my books, new and old.

For example, there was this comment about a book I wrote more than a decade ago:

“The Secrets of Jin-shei was one of the most moving novels I have ever read. … (it) is so close to being real, that it made me ache for what might have been. It’s a novel that is hard to categorize, but that is part of its beauty. It’ll endure for a very long time as one of my absolute favorites, and Embers of Heaven is a beautifully crafted sequel.” —Janelle Wilbanks

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Another review of Jin-shei was posted in Goodreads by Annie Galloza who gave it a five-star rating.

“Alma Alexander has written a novel that reads like a beautiful, haunting, heart-searing song….a group of girls that form a circle of sisterhood that cannot be broken…grow up in an ancient-Chinese-type-world where the boundaries of loyalty & love within their circle is tested even to the point of death. I envy Alma’s ability to create such a rich story. I often found myself wondering, “how did she do it?” What an epic story. I fell in love with each character & found a little bit of myself in each of these beautiful, independent women.”

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My newest book, “Midnight at Spanish Gardens,” really made the grade in this review by Esther Jones.

“This book immediately reached out and grabbed me. It was, at all times, an intense and interesting read. I can’t say it was always a comfortable one. However, since people don’t usually re-evaluate their perspectives while they’re comfortable, that’s actually a good thing for this book…smart, thought provoking, and beautifully written…I found myself wishing for a sequel… ”

—–And then this comment by Andrew Donald about my first Wordweavers book:

“Just finished UnMage. I loved Thea, who walks with gods, and her ability to weave worlds. Need more ebooks!”

—–But not all is sweetness and light.

Someone who posted a one-star review for my “Houses in Africa”, noted that it is “An interesting read about a fascinating subject….It is however marred by grammatical errors and in many cases an incorrect lord has been used. …“